Why do some products just click—while others miss the mark, even when they’re built “right”?
In this episode of What Makes You Tick?, we sit down with Christina Hamlin—a product designer, brand builder, and creative leader who’s helped scale design and product teams in high-growth startups and global tech environments.
Christina shares what most companies get wrong about UX, why product design should be a strategic function, not a service, and how to build experiences that align with both business goals and real human behavior.
We get into the tension between brand and product, how to design with clarity at scale, and why the best design leaders don’t just “make it pretty”—they shape the system.
If you're a founder, designer, PM, or startup exec, this one’s packed with real insight.
📌 What you’ll learn:
– Why UX ≠ product design—and why that confusion hurts
– How to integrate brand and product seamlessly
– What it really takes to scale a design team in a startup
– Why systems thinking beats surface-level fixes
– Christina’s path from agency to in-house leadership
– How to bring storytelling, clarity, and confidence to your product roadmap
🎧 About the show:
What Makes You Tick? is where tech leaders share what really matters—career moves, product bets, cultural calls, and the personal moments behind the metrics.
📲 Connect with Christina Hamlin
🔗 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chamlin/overlay/photo/
Follow Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwash/
Read Richard’s Newsletter Growth Magnet: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7083793079794556928
Subscribe for more conversations that go beyond tactics — and into what makes the people who build startups tick.
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